National Monument Camp Amersfoort

The history of the "Polizeiliches Durchgangslager Amersfoort" or Camp Amersfoort seperates in two periods. The socalled first period began on 18 August 1941- when the first groups of prisoners arrived- en ended in March 1943. In March 1943 the Amersfoortse prisoners - except 8 persons- were transported to Kamp Vught. This evacuation was necessary to complete the expansion of Kamp Amersfoort. Maintenance of Kamp Amersfoort stayed - in spite of the occupation of Kamp Vught in Januari 1943 - still necessary.

Around April/May 1943 the expansion of Kamp Amersfoort was realized and prisoners could be admitted again in the camp. In many ways Kamp Amersfoort was changed in the way it was in the first period. The most important changes were the bigger 'accommodation capacity' and the faster 'pass trough' time. The disorder, the lack of hygiene, the lack of food, the bad medical treatment and the cruelty of the guards stayed. A lightpoint for the prisoners was the presents of the Dutch Red Cross. This second period ends on 19 April 1945; the transfer of the camp to the Red Cross.

The National Memorial of Kamp Amersfoort lays next to the terrain of the Police Traininginstitute IBP-location Leusden at the Loes van Overeemlaan (formerly named Appelweg). The entrance to the memorial site is lying at the Loes van Overeemlaan, over 300 meters from the point where you took the turn on Laan 1914. The entrance lies at the opposite of the path to the shootingsite and the 'Stone Man'.

Beneath the ground of the outdoor area of Camp Amersfoort National Monument is a concrete exhibition space. Here the stories of prisoners and others involved in the history of the camp are central.

For current visiting hours, please visit the website of the museum.

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Source

• Text: TracesOfWar
• Photos: Kevin Prenger